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F ³: Scapegoats


I came very close to sharing my collection of ceiling photos with you this morning. Thank goodness you have escaped that fate. Then I read this:

Mass Deportations Could Lead to Severe Scapegoat Shortage, Experts Warn - - Andy Borowitz, writer, satirist 

He refers, of course, to a likely policy of the next president of the United States. But his words reach beyond just that one topic, I think. What happens when people invest everything in one scapegoat, one target of  blame?

It could be ginned-up rage about undocumented residents, high prices, people whose sexuality is different from our own, history lessons that include uncomfortable truths…you name it.

If you put all your eggs in one ideological basket and loudly blast all within earshot I think you also make yourself more vulnerable to those who would seek to manipulate you for their own purposes. If they know you have a negative hot button issue they can make promises accordingly. They can pretty much rely on you to respond to their words emotionally without using any critical thinking skills beforehand. 

Yes, I have issues that matter to me but that’s not the same thing as choosing a scapegoat for everything that’s wrong and essentially pursuing its destruction. And yes, there are times I care deeply enough about these issues that my initial response may be emotional. But I’m never fully disconnected from my ability to think things through and use good judgement. 

When you are all wrapped up in battling a scapegoat there is no nuance. And what happens if you get your way and discover it doesn’t make all the badness disappear? Who do you blame then? How do you resolve that cognitive dissonance?

Find another scapegoat. I guess. Transfer all that rage somewhere else. It behooves those who want to control your thoughts and behavior to supply you with a new scapegoat. It’s crucial to them that people don’t get enough space and quietness in their own heads to begin to think for themselves.

The case of mass deportation is complicated because, though it will not produce any of the positive results that its proponents are promising, it will satisfy the stirrings of deep-seated racism that lurk below the surface. And, as crazy as it sounds, some people will be able to bear that level of failure as long as that primal itch is being scratched. 

Thought for the day: if someone tries to convince you that everything that is wrong can be blamed on just one person, thing, or group - - they are not your friend. Keep an eye out for the folks who encourage you to get enough space and quietness within yourself to think your own thoughts.

Bonus question: what is something positive that you believe in and are working towards?


Village Green/Town² Comments 



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